The Clifton clarion., 1887-06-01
Electricity ns n Motive Power.

clty with electric street car motors
 are by no means amateur ventures.
 Electricity as motive power is
 already in actual, active compe- tition with the horse and the cabis in various cities throughout the country. in quite a number of which It's operations are being rap idly extended. Generally speak ing, however, most of the electric roads are in process of construct ion or only in the early stages of trial and development.
 In comparison with the horse car line the electric road possesses advantages which it is not possible to enumerate briefly, but which may be hinted at in this connect Ion.
 l. Not so much real estate is re- quired for the station as for the stable; nor is the location or the character of the building so much a matter of importance and cost with the former as with the latter.
 2. The annual loss in efficiency of, say one-fifth of the live stock employed, whereby twenty ami mals are sold for 8 song-is avoid ed.
 3. The cost of attendance is very materially reduced.
 4. There is no liability of epi- zooty, costly in respect of both live stock and traffic.
 5. There is no likelihood of the motive power "eating its head off during a strike or while idleness is inforced by any one of num- Der of causes.
 6. The efficiency of the horse in extremely hot or cold weather is at its lowest, though it should be at its highest-which is another and final point in favor of cleo tricity, if we leave speed out of account.
 The cable is an improvement over the horse road, more partic ularly over routes so laid as to at tract large and active traffic; but, as Mir. T. c. Kane contends in the Railway Age, the first cost of good cable system Is extremely heavy; the line is, unfortunately, B unit; the ponderous cable must be run at all times-itself consum- ing some 75 per cent. of the total motive power-whether five cars pr fifty are attached; when the road is built it cannot we'll be ex- ended; and steadily large traffic s necessary to meet expenses. These and other objections have acted in restraint of it's wider ap- olication.
 With electricity, on the other hand, there is remarkable flexlbility of application and wide range of choice as to method. The car can carry its own power in storage the current conductors nay be put out of sight in con- luits; third rail can be placed on my existing track; or the car may depend for current power upon an overhead wire with contract rolley or brush; and all of these ,an be put together, if necessary, on one road. In this connection Mr. Martin says: q have been on street railways where each of these plans is exemplified and have 'ound all practical and operative. The motor can be put anywhere, ,ven on the roof, and can be geared | ID in a dozen different ways. The .verage recovery power is easily l 50 to 65 per cent. and in every | case the current required is ex- .ctly propertionate, at the minute, o the work being done. A first ,lass horse car costing S1, 200 will, with an electric motor, cost from 5000 to $2, ,250, but the horse car .oad has from six to twelve horses per car, the horses costing about | ;125 to $50 apiece. The cost of ! he electric conductors is more han offset by the wear and tear of | . horse track" Again, ''the cen ral electric station can also, and | loes now, supply electric light and power for general purposes"
 Among the cities ln which cleo ,ricity as a motive power is now n use may be mentioned, prom nently, Baltimore, Los Angeles, ral.; Port Huron, Mich; Detroit. l